The idea of a woman being Minister of War or Secretary of State (ahem) would have seemed laughable - if not completely terrifying; women were considered to be overly emotional and sentimental - traits that might lead to irrational and ill thought-out political decisions.

A number of women at places I have worked have said they would not trust a woman as president for basically those reasons. But they have also opined that they hate working with other women. Not sure what to make of them.

No kidding. The biggest gift we had was fossil fuels and instead of building a better place for everyone we've created a better treadmill for most of us, and the few people on top get the benefit. Why is our work week still 40 hours? What are all these people "producing" if everything is so expensive?

And the fun part is Republicans are still quoting and parroting his lines today. He was the one who made an attack on intellectualism popular. Nixon stole it from him and it became a GOP mainstay.

Hmm--so which Republican "today" said "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." ?Oh and wasn't he a Democrat? Oh, right of course he was--since segregationists were southern Democrats. And attacks on intellectualism have been popular since Andrew Jackson (another Democrat), at least.

You know, kid, if you pick up a history book every once in a while you might be able to avoid looking so stupid on the Fark.

Watching_Epoxy_Cure:GAT_00: As George Wallace infamously said at his 1963 inauguration, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

And the fun part is Republicans are still quoting and parroting his lines today. He was the one who made an attack on intellectualism popular. Nixon stole it from him and it became a GOP mainstay.

Hmm--so which Republican "today" said "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." ?Oh and wasn't he a Democrat? Oh, right of course he was--since segregationists were southern Democrats. And attacks on intellectualism have been popular since Andrew Jackson (another Democrat), at least.

You know, kid, if you pick up a history book every once in a while you might be able to avoid looking so stupid on the Fark.

I'm an alien from 1942 and find so much more of our modern culture dystopian than the few items in the article: the cults of science and of celebrity; social networking (why? tell me why!); kids and drugs; that crap you people call music; helicopter parenting that produces dependent, spoiled snowflakes; the dependence on technology for all entertainment (including Internet porn); the assumption that every corporation is intrinsically evil; farming reality TV that is as far removed from reality as...name your metaphor. Get off my lawn, please.

Gergesa:The idea of a woman being Minister of War or Secretary of State (ahem) would have seemed laughable - if not completely terrifying; women were considered to be overly emotional and sentimental - traits that might lead to irrational and ill thought-out political decisions.

A number of women at places I have worked have said they would not trust a woman as president for basically those reasons. But they have also opined that they hate working with other women. Not sure what to make of them.

The hardest group of people to get to work together are women. It has been my experience that men find it easier (thought not always ie politics) to put aside personality clashes, dislikes and even hatreds to get the job done. Men can compartmentalize the two. Women seem to have more difficulty in doing that.

The best civilian boss I ever had was a woman and she even stated working with men was easier with less drama.

m3000:If we were to tell a Southerner from pre-Civil War America that a black president would take office in 2012, he'd have a massive heart attack.

A lot of Southerns today are having that same reaction.

Not necessarilly. A lot of them did believe that Lincoln was at least part-black. And there were a heckuva lot of high-ranking Southerners whose rather dark complexions were officially laid down to "Cherokee" or "Spanish" blood, but everyone knew better. You just didn't say much because lots of these folks with "Cherokee" or "Spanish" blood habitually went armed and knew how to use a pistol or knife pretty well.

Thomas Jefferson was into that whole "Gentleman Farmer" thing where people become one with the land and nature. He believed that cities were UNNATURAL aberrations and not a viable model of social development.

LDM90:GAT_00: As George Wallace infamously said at his 1963 inauguration, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

And the fun part is Republicans are still quoting and parroting his lines today. He was the one who made an attack on intellectualism popular. Nixon stole it from him and it became a GOP mainstay.

Do you have some personal rule where you have to say Republican, Conservative, Christian, or fundie in every post?

Do Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and fundies have a personal rule where they must say stupid shiat on a daily basis? Not saying all of the above are stupid, but if they're only the vocal minority, then the silent majority needs to take action, because their spokespeople are assholes.

"What? A mulatto in the White House, Jews have their own country, AND one can receive erotically enticing kinescopes on the wireless? This 'future' of yours, good sirrah, is pure balderdash!"

I remember Wallace getting shot. He was a credible candidate for prez at the time. The people who freaked out over it would not survive today - their vaginas would become sand-encrusted kitten-cannons.

It is weird to think that I was born into a legally segregated country. Only went to school with ONE black kid in twelve years, and I never even saw him, just knew he was there. No "coloreds" in church, either, or in local government, or at the Lion's club.

Challam:I'm an alien from 1942 and find so much more of our modern culture dystopian than the few items in the article: the cults of science and of celebrity; social networking (why? tell me why!); kids and drugs; that crap you people call music; helicopter parenting that produces dependent, spoiled snowflakes; the dependence on technology for all entertainment (including Internet porn); the assumption that every corporation is intrinsically evil; farming reality TV that is as far removed from reality as...name your metaphor. Get off my lawn, please.

Those same "cults" which produce the very technology for you to communicate over data networks to spew your brand of derp, produce the tools and medications to save your ass in the ER instead of prayer circles for that heart attack, produce the machines to speed you to your destination faster and more safely than ever before, and produce satellites which maintain watch over storms and aggressor nations from advancing upon us?

lohphat:Challam: I'm an alien from 1942 and find so much more of our modern culture dystopian than the few items in the article: the cults of science and of celebrity; social networking (why? tell me why!); kids and drugs; that crap you people call music; helicopter parenting that produces dependent, spoiled snowflakes; the dependence on technology for all entertainment (including Internet porn); the assumption that every corporation is intrinsically evil; farming reality TV that is as far removed from reality as...name your metaphor. Get off my lawn, please.

Those same "cults" which produce the very technology for you to communicate over data networks to spew your brand of derp, produce the tools and medications to save your ass in the ER instead of prayer circles for that heart attack, produce the machines to speed you to your destination faster and more safely than ever before, and produce satellites which maintain watch over storms and aggressor nations from advancing upon us?

Go back to 1870 please. We don't need you here.

You picked up on that, but not "social networking", in a post on a forum?

Almost any person from any ancient society of even a hundred years or older would find modern society dystopian. Likewise go a hundred years in the future and the population will be equally appalled at our modern society. Values and morals change with time, and that's why it's foolish to be judgmental of previous societies. People need to be more tolerant and less judgmental, it would do everyone a world of good.

The last bit about obesity is completely wrong. Before 1900, such corpulence was a sign of wealth. In fact, muscular and tanned bodies, connected with low-class field work, were looked down about. Only when office work became the new norm and "fit" bodies became a sign of having more leisure time did this standard become attractive.

I think people from ancient times would be shocked at how fast decisions need to be made. During the American Revolution, some British lord in charge of navy or army, I forget which, took off for 2 weeks of fly fishing and it was completely normal to have no one in his place and just to wait for him to come back.

Nowadays, decisions have to made in the split second.

Jesus, I have customers who biatch and moan unless the response is done by the end of the day. Really? You can't wait while I make sure the answer is optimal?

Lawyers of course, still live in the old world, where court cases take years to complete. Must be nice.

If you want to know what people from several centuries ago would think of our time, Google for "Cockaigne". The time we live in today is pretty similar if to what they visualized for that land, if you out the most fantastic elements (like pigs who walked around with knives in their back to make them convenient to carve). Most people would be too busy stuffing themselves with burritos to be worried about the fact that a woman is Secretary of State or that Mass isn't performed in Latin.

I suspect the thing they would find most horrifying right after stepping out the time warp is airplanes.

LegoLewdite:The last bit about obesity is completely wrong. Before 1900, such corpulence was a sign of wealth. In fact, muscular and tanned bodies, connected with low-class field work, were looked down about. Only when office work became the new norm and "fit" bodies became a sign of having more leisure time did this standard become attractive.

/armchair historian//continue with your farking jokes

Mostly

true. The degree of obesity that we're seeing today would be unacceptable during most of history. Obesity to the point that one could no longer walk unassisted would have been considered to be a sign of weak character. Also, being fit and trim was quite acceptable as long as you didn't get that way by menial labor. Riding, walking (to look at scenery,not as a mode of travel), physical games, etc. were fine. Gardening was okay, too, if you were doing it as a hobby or for scientific studies.

Gergesa:The idea of a woman being Minister of War or Secretary of State (ahem) would have seemed laughable - if not completely terrifying; women were considered to be overly emotional and sentimental - traits that might lead to irrational and ill thought-out political decisions.

A number of women at places I have worked have said they would not trust a woman as president for basically those reasons. But they have also opined that they hate working with other women. Not sure what to make of them.

People who complain women can't be in charge because they're too emotional and illogical usually get upset if they have to deal with a practical not-very-emotional woman. They think there's something wrong with a woman who isn't smiling, chatty, sociable, and trying to make other people happy.